Kara playing!

Kara really likes playing with her new playground activity mat! It's so much fun to see how excited she gets looking at all the patterns and colors, and listening to the music. The activity mat was given to Kara by Mrs. Young and Mrs. Prophater, my mother-in-law's good friends.

Kara's new sling

We purchased a baby sling for Kara yesterday and it's working great for her! She's like a pea in a pod or a cute bug in a rug!

Another new outfit!

Kara is wearing a darling outfit she received from Tim's Aunt Miriam and Uncle Gary in New York. Kathy decided to take a couple of pictures while Kara was calm in her crib right before her nap.

Delicious dinner!

Last night Mike and John fixed all of us an absolutely delicious dinner! We had fillets that were cooked just perfectly (with Bearnaise sauce), and a potato and watercress salad with a blue cheese/oil dressing. My mouth is watering again just writing about it. Well, Kara got a little fussy while we were all still eating, so Kathy decided to hold her. Kathy was a little creative (for a moment) and propped Kara on her chest with her bottom on the dinner table to eat a bite of steak. Tim snapped the picture of the pose!

Kara with her grandparents

We definitely had to post some pictures of Kara with her Grandma and Grandpa Lang! These are some good ones. We've had a nice time during their weekend visit!

Visiting with family from Ohio

Tim's parents, brother and sister-in-law arrived in town this afternoon. We had a wonderful dinner of margarita chicken, corn on the cob, and a grilled peppers salad (the salad was thanks to Mike). Tim's dad also helped with grilling the chicken. Tomorrow's dinner is all up to John and Mike, and we're sure it's going to be delicious! Everyone has enjoyed holding Kara, feeding her and just generally making sure she's content and happy. The pictures are: Mike (Tim's brother) with Kara, and Zoe (Mike's wife) feeding Kara.

Kara's appointment with Dr. Joe

We had Kara's 1 month well-baby visit today. She is 20 1/4 inches long (over the 50th percentile) and 7 lbs 10 oz (right above the 10th percentile). So that basically means she is average length, but still lower in weight than most babies her age. I say she is long and lean! :-) Dr. Joe seems to think that Kara has a reflux problem that is causing her to spit-up shortly after she eats (small amounts but sometimes through her nose). It may also be the cause for gas pains and her occasional choking when I lay her on her back right after eating. Kara prefers to sit up more in her bouncer or lay upright on her belly on my chest. Dr. Joe gave us a prescription for Zantac. Ironically, Samantha was diagnosed with a reflux problem about 1 1/2 years ago and takes a Zantac pill every day. Kara also has a blocked tear duct in the right eye--this is the same eye that Samantha's was blocked when she was a baby! Samantha had to have surgery on her tear duct when she was 13 months old, and again at 15 months old. We hope that Kara's opens up on her own before she is 12 months old. Dr. Joe gave us some antibiotic ointment to use in Kara's eye once a day to prevent an eye infection from the buildup of mucous that has nowhere to drain. Twelve years ago the doctor didn't do that, and Samantha had constant eye infections which made it look like she had a black eye. The doctor only prescribed the antibiotic drops after the infection was already there. Pretty interesting that Kara and Samantha have these things in common--even though they are not biological sisters. Kara also had her second Hepatitis B vaccination today and it was hard to watch her scream when she got the shot. We were told that next month at her 2 month-old well-baby visit she will receive four vaccinations--uh oh! It's easy to forget those nasty shots 12 years later!

Aunt Anne visits from California!

Tim's sister, Anne, flew in from California today to see Kara for the first time! Kara's middle name comes from her Aunt Anne. Tim's parents, John & Ellen, his brother, Mike, and sister-in-law, Zoe are driving in tomorrow from Ohio. We will have a house full of people this weekend, and it will be great!

What a cutie!

Kara is wearing a new outfit given to her by the O'Malley's, my sister Karen's in-laws. It looks so cute on her! Kara is lying on a really soft blanket given to her by two of my cousins families living in Illinois. We think Kara looks so adorable whether she is sleeping or wide awake!

Kara's birthday present to Mommy!

Kara gave her mommy the best birthday present last night! Kara, mommy & daddy went to bed at 11 pm and Kara didn't wake up for her first bottle until 2:45 am--she slept for 3 hours and 45 minutes straight! And...it happened to be Tim's turn to feed Kara first. Kara went back to sleep at 3:15 am and didn't wake up until shortly after 6 am. So, that means Kathy got to stay in bed a full 7 hours! For those of you who can remember what it feels like to wake up every couple hours to feed your babies, you know how wonderful it is to get that extra sleep.

We had a really good day today! Kara was sweet as usual, and we all went out to dinner at Outback to celebrate Kathy's birthday. Then we went to Dairy Queen for dessert!

Family Birthday Celebrations

Today we visited with all of Kathy's family at her parent's home in northern Virginia. We celebrated Kathy's mom's birthday (8/22) and Kathy's birthday (8/13)! We had a great time together eating, reminiscing, and playing with our two nephews, Aidan and Sean. They were in pictures posted earlier. Everyone loved holding and feeding Kara. It will be even more fun when Kara can get down there on the floor and play with the toys too! Kathy's youngest sister, Krista, is due to have a baby boy at the end of September. Kara and "baby boy" Jacks will be close to the same age, so they will spend a lot of time playing together!

Kara is 4 weeks old!

Hard to believe, but Kara is a already four weeks old today! Everything is going really well...Kara is growing and changing each and every day. She has longer periods of time when she is more alert, and is eating like a champ. We are having so much fun together!

Visits with Friends

A Our friend, Rene', came to visit Kara with her two daughters, Brenna and Kailan. Our friend & neighbor, Kristie, also came by for a visit today! Kara has some real fans even at this early age!

Cute beginning...

Kathy woke up at 7 am this morning, very surprised that Kara had not woken her up already! Daddy did the 2nd feeding from 2:45 to 3:30 (approx) am, so that meant Kara had slept 3 1/2 hours straight! Kathy peeked in on Kara to discover Kara hugging her musical giraffe attached to the side of her crib. It was so cute! Kathy was dying to take a picture, but she knew the flash would probably wake Kara up. Kathy woke up Tim, because he just had to see how cute she was with his own eyes. Then Kara woke up on her own about 10 minutes later!

Kara is having some more visitors this afternoon, so we'll take some more pictures then.

Sweet Kara

Kara had a really good day today. The new formula seems to definitely be helping. She happily played with her activity gym for at least 45 minutes today. The pictures are right after Kara had her evening bath and story time. She is quite content!

A new formula for Kara

The good news is that Kara has been really increasing her intake of formula at most of her feedings. The bad news is that it seems to create more gas...which means more discomfort for Kara. :-( We decided to contact Dr. Joe today because we just couldn't stand the idea of waiting till the next appointment on the 16th to get some advice on how to make Kara feel better. It's just too hard to watch her when she is in pain. Dr. Joe suggested we try Similac Alimentum Hypoallergenic Formula. So far so good. It is a little pricey compared to others because it's hypoallergenic, but it's definitely worth it if it makes Kara feel better.

Kara's new toy!

Yesterday, we put together Kara's new activity gym. It was given to her by our friends, Danny & Diana Wall. She really enjoyed it--especially the bright colors and patterns! She even got a couple minutes of tummy time. :-) Dr. Joe said she only needs a couple of minutes a day at this age. Kara is already a pro at raising her head off of mommy and daddy's chest!

If you have a weak stomach--don't read!

Well...Kara and soy formula do not go together. The first feeding was not a problem, but the next two definitely were. Kara displayed what they call...projectile spitting up--not vomiting--because it's just the formula. It went everywhere! The first time we didn't necessarily associate it with the soy formula, but after the second time, we knew there had to be an association. Kathy's only comparison is Samantha (who was on soy formula from 6 weeks on) and she did spit up...enough so that she always had a bib on. But what happened yesterday evening with Kara was HUGE, messy, and done with such force, that it was really scary! It even seemed like more came out than what she took in. Needless to say, we are back on the Enfamil Gentlease Lipil. We have another appointment with Dr. Joe on August 16th, and we will let her know that the soy did NOT work.

Kara is 3 weeks old!

Kara had her first appointment with her local pediatrician, Dr. Joe, this morning. She is doing great, and now weighs 7 lbs 1 oz! I forgot to mention earlier that Dr. Kohl's office (in OK) realized during her appointment on July 18th that Kara's length was measured incorrectly at the time of her birth. We were told that she was 19 1/2 inches long. On July 18th, Kara was measured at 18 inches, and the nurse said that she definitely didn't shrink! On July 24th, the last appointment with Dr. Kohl, Kara measured 18 1/2 inches, and today she was 19 1/2 inches long. Although it is normal for babies to lose weight after they're born, they definitely do not lose any length! Dr. Joe recommended that Kara start on a soy formula today because of her continuous problem with gas pains. She had her first 2 oz of soy formula at noon today and didn't seem to mind it a bit. We drink soy milk in our home, so we're glad she seems to like it. Dr. Joe said it will take about 48 hours on the new formula to see if it will really make a difference for Kara. We sure hope it does!

A visit from family!

Kara's Nana, Aunt Karen, and her two cousins, Aidan and Sean came to visit us today! We took some pictures (of course) to commemorate the visit. What a sweet angel!

Cute pictures of Kara

Some new pictures to enjoy!

Sleeping with Mommy

Tim caught Kara sleeping with mommy the other night. Pretty cute, don't ya think?!

Piggies, anyone?!

Beth Green reminded us yesterday at church that feet and toes are quite adorable! Here is a picture of Kara's!

Cute pictures!

Today was the baby shower for my sister, Krista, who is due to have a baby boy on September 24th. Krista's sister-in-law, Lisa, and her mother-in-law, Lyn, were very thoughtful and brought gifts for Kara too. It was nice to be able to bring Kara to the shower, so that everyone could meet her in person. I think she enjoyed all of the attention. :-) These pictures were taken this evening after we arrived back home. The blanket over Kara is from Lisa. It says 'Love Bug', and is so adorable--just like our Kara!

Kara is 2 weeks old today!

These pictures were taken today. Tim and I like the one where Kara is sticking out her tongue! Maybe she's sick of having her picture taken? Well, she better get used to it, because we don't intend to stop anytime soon!

It's so hard to believe that our beautiful Kara is already two weeks old! On one hand, it seems like Kara has always been a part of our family, and on the other it feels like just yesterday that we were able to hold her for the first time! Our family of four feels just perfect together.

First Day at Home

Our first full day at home was very nice. We spent time getting Kara accustomed to her new bedroom, crib, etc.... We took a trip to Wal-Mart to get groceries, because after being gone for two weeks, we had no food in the house. We also made a trip to Toys R Us to get a much needed diaper pail! :-) It's just feels great to be home, and we're still hoping and praying that Kara will sleep more as the days go by--which means we will get to sleep more!

Yea...we're home!!!

It is wonderful to be home! The plane trip from Oklahoma went very well. Thank goodness it was nothing like our trip to Oklahoma. Kara was just great as a first-time flier! She is eating like a trooper these days, and didn't have any ear problems on take-off or descent. We want to thank everyone we met and developed friendships with in Oklahoma for making the past two weeks an amazing experience that we will always treasure. We will post more pictures tomorrow! It's time to try to catch up on some sleep!

Our Last Night in OK!

Tonight we had dinner with Cammi's mother, Micara, her stepfather, Daniel, and her sister, Codie. The cute pictures above were taken by one of them and emailed to us. The second picture is Cammi's sister, Codie. We spent a couple of hours talking, eating, and taking lots of pictures of one of another...with Kara, of course! Unfortunately, Cammi could not be there because she is still recuperating at her grandmother's home in TX. Kathy talked with Cammi on the phone today to tell her that we are finally able to return home to WV. Cammi was very happy for all of us, and wished us a safe trip. Cammi is feeling good these days and anxious to get back to OK. I'm sure we will see Cammi and her family when we return to OK in 6 months for the finalization. She is such a wonderful person, and we feel very fortunate and blessed to have gotten to know her and her terrific family. Kathy plans to put together an album of pictures of Cammi and her family for Kara to look at as she gets older. Kara will always know what a big heart her birthmother, Cammi, and her birthfamily, has in OK!

Good News!

Hi Everyone! Kara had another doctor appointment today, and she is doing great! The nurse said she gained approximately 12 ounces in weight, her head circumference is larger, and she is about 1/2 inch longer in length! Dr. Kohl says Kara is progressing wonderfully!

The other great news is that we were told today that ICPC in WV has approved us to go home! We are leaving tomorrow on a 7:25 am flight. The downside is that we fly into National Airport, instead of Dulles (where our car is parked). :-( Thankfully, Samantha and Kara's Nana & Papa Hennessey, are meeting us at National and taking us back to Dulles. They wanted to see their new granddaughter anyways! We are hoping to be home in Martinsburg around 5 pm.

We look forward to all of our friends and family coming to visit to meet Kara once we're home. FYI...afternoon visits would be easier for us and much appreciated. Just call and let us know if you want to come over!

Kara on Monday Morning!

Sorry we didn't put up any pictures of Kara on Sunday. Here are a couple that Kathy took this morning. Kara is just relaxing on Kathy & Tim's bed after a night of many feedings! Does her face look fuller to you? We think so!

A Great Day!

We are having another great day! We really loved LifeChurch's Tulsa Campus--it was awesome! The series is called "At the Movies 2007", and their concourse was filled with amazing creatures and outer space items from the movie 'Star Wars'! Hans Solo's spaceship was hanging from the ceiling, and there was a huge tree (floor to ceiling) with vines hanging from it, where the ewoks lived! We were pretty much in awe of everything...it's a wonder that people didn't notice our big eyes and open mouths, as we were checking it all out! :-) The church has done a great job of creating a very inviting and exciting environment--especially for children. We went to check out the children's classrooms, because what we saw online was really cool. It was just as cool in person! I'm sure if we were living in Tulsa, or near one of their other many campus' (in OK, TX, AZ, NY or FL), we would definitely be going to LifeChurch. The message by Senior Pastor Craig Groeschel was terrific, and I'm so glad we decided to take the opportunity to go see him speak. Kara didn't make it through the whole service, but we sat in the back, and I scooted out to the lobby to watch the message on one of the flat screens while Kara ate. The rest of us ate lunch at Olive Garden after church, which was yummy!

Please pray that we'll get good news tomorrow and be able to head home to WV!